ABOUT US

Richard J. Colonna Ministries is based in Garwood, NJ. I am a certified Minister and I am able to perform the following services:

Weddings/Baptisms/Memorial Services

My gift to humanity is to comfort those who need comforting, to unite people who believe in the power of love and to welcome the newly born into this world of opportunity.

A very special person in my life told me that as long as we have laughter, we have love. Therefore my goal is to bring peace, joy, comfort and most of all laughter to anyone I come in contact with.

About Me:

As a leading provider of Ministry Services I take pride in meeting your needs and the needs of your family and friends.

I am an licensed Ordained, Interfaith, Non-Denominational Minister who goes beyond traditional limits to help you create the most unique, customized, loving, and personalized service you have ever wanted or dreamed of.

Your wedding ceremony, civil union or commitment exchange, is the cornerstone of your marriage, and it should reflect who you are, your unique relationship, and include those you love.

Whether your guest list is 2 or 200, your ceremony should be as unique as your relationship, and your Officiant should be fun and flexible.

If your service involves a baptism or a blessing of a renewed life, I commit to making it a memorable event. If you've experienced the loss of a friend or loved one, allow me to bring comfort to your heavy heart and help you celebrate their life. Whatever the need is, please honor me with the opportunity to make it a special experience.
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REVIEWS

Richard married my husband and I at the Olde Mill Inn in September 2016. He is all you want to have in a minister. He is fun, detail oriented, professional, a good public speaker, open to suggestions and ideas, and gets along great with family and members of the wedding party.

Richard married my husband and I at the Olde Mill Inn in September 2016. He is all you want to have in a minister. He is Read more...

Richard married my husband and I at the Olde Mill Inn in September 2016. He is all you want to have in a minister. He is fun, detail oriented, professional, a good public speaker, open to suggestions and ideas, and gets along great with family and members of the wedding party. Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Anna

Wedding:

9/17/2016

5.0/5.0

Reverend Richard Colonna is the best! He officiated our non denominational wedding on September 17th. He is fantastic! He makes you feel so comfortable with him, and all the guests liked him as well. He can accommodate any need you have, and write any ceremony script you may need. He is a true professional and you will be so happy you chose him! Defientely recommend him to anyone getting married!

Reverend Richard Colonna is the best! He officiated our non denominational wedding on September 17th. He is fantastic! He Read more...

Reverend Richard Colonna is the best! He officiated our non denominational wedding on September 17th. He is fantastic! He makes you feel so comfortable with him, and all the guests liked him as well. He can accommodate any need you have, and write any ceremony script you may need. He is a true professional and you will be so happy you chose him! Defientely recommend him to anyone getting married! Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Hector

Wedding:

8/19/2016

5.0/5.0

Richard was the officiant for my wife and I. We were very happy with our choice. Richard was very professional and, detail oriented for our ceremony. He provided a good draft for us and made things very easy for us. Even on the day of, he was very punctual and provided us with an unforgettable ceremony. Thank you for everything Richard.

Richard was the officiant for my wife and I. We were very happy with our choice. Richard was very professional and, detail Read more...

Richard was the officiant for my wife and I. We were very happy with our choice. Richard was very professional and, detail oriented for our ceremony. He provided a good draft for us and made things very easy for us. Even on the day of, he was very punctual and provided us with an unforgettable ceremony. Thank you for everything Richard. Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Alexis

Wedding:

8/12/2016

5.0/5.0

Richard is just the absolute BEST! Kind, timely, professional, and SO PHOTOGENIC! Not only was our ceremony incredible with all the personal touches that Richard helped us to customize but he made us so calm and comfortable on a very important and at times {stressful} day. He was so professional during our initial meeting and then helped us organize our ceramony, provided great recommendations in regards to adding readings and really went out of his way to help us make sure our ceramony was personal and true to who were are. Something to think about, Richard is in most of our ceramony photos and the fact that he is so handsome and smiling along with Jon and I in every photo was great!!! We received so many compliments on our ceramony and Richard made it all possible. I would recommend him to EVERYONE!

Richard is just the absolute BEST! Kind, timely, professional, and SO PHOTOGENIC! Not only was our ceremony incredible Read more...

Richard is just the absolute BEST! Kind, timely, professional, and SO PHOTOGENIC! Not only was our ceremony incredible with all the personal touches that Richard helped us to customize but he made us so calm and comfortable on a very important and at times {stressful} day. He was so professional during our initial meeting and then helped us organize our ceramony, provided great recommendations in regards to adding readings and really went out of his way to help us make sure our ceramony was personal and true to who were are. Something to think about, Richard is in most of our ceramony photos and the fact that he is so handsome and smiling along with Jon and I in every photo was great!!! We received so many compliments on our ceramony and Richard made it all possible. I would recommend him to EVERYONE! Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Amanda

Wedding:

7/22/2016

5.0/5.0

Can't say enough good things about Reverend Richard :) We are so happy that we chose him for our officiant. You will know from the first time you meet him, he exudes happiness and genuine caring, and will make certain your ceremony is exactly what you want. We wanted a non-denominational outdoor ceremony. First of all, when he met with us, he drove all the way out to us in Hoboken to meet over coffee! He was prepared with all the information you would need to build the perfect ceremony. He understands people come from all faiths and walks of life. He understands the complexity of family dynamics and will navigate all that with you with light heartedness. You will come away from that first meeting with peace and excitement that it will be all you ever wanted! There was absolutely no pressure to hire him, but we did on the spot because he's awesome! Leading up to the wedding hubby and I went through samples of vows, readings, and different symbolic ceremonies (unity candle, sand ceremony etc. we opted for a blessing of the hands which was beautiful!). In the month before the wedding, Reverend Richard just sent a rough draft of things we said we wanted for the ceremony. We approved or changed a few things and asked some questions. Next thing you know you have a final copy which is perfect! It was total peace of mind. On the actual wedding day, it was 95 degrees outside! People were seated and he got it rolling. His delivery was absolutely perfect and genuine. The audience was full of emotion and still talk about how wonderful he was. We highly recommend him!! Thank you Reverend Richard!!

Can't say enough good things about Reverend Richard :) We are so happy that we chose him for our officiant. You will know Read more...

Can't say enough good things about Reverend Richard :) We are so happy that we chose him for our officiant. You will know from the first time you meet him, he exudes happiness and genuine caring, and will make certain your ceremony is exactly what you want. We wanted a non-denominational outdoor ceremony. First of all, when he met with us, he drove all the way out to us in Hoboken to meet over coffee! He was prepared with all the information you would need to build the perfect ceremony. He understands people come from all faiths and walks of life. He understands the complexity of family dynamics and will navigate all that with you with light heartedness. You will come away from that first meeting with peace and excitement that it will be all you ever wanted! There was absolutely no pressure to hire him, but we did on the spot because he's awesome! Leading up to the wedding hubby and I went through samples of vows, readings, and different symbolic ceremonies (unity candle, sand ceremony etc. we opted for a blessing of the hands which was beautiful!). In the month before the wedding, Reverend Richard just sent a rough draft of things we said we wanted for the ceremony. We approved or changed a few things and asked some questions. Next thing you know you have a final copy which is perfect! It was total peace of mind. On the actual wedding day, it was 95 degrees outside! People were seated and he got it rolling. His delivery was absolutely perfect and genuine. The audience was full of emotion and still talk about how wonderful he was. We highly recommend him!! Thank you Reverend Richard!! Read less

Services Used: Officiant

jfaith028

Wedding:

7/3/2016

5.0/5.0

My husband and I were married a few weeks ago and had Revered Richard Colonna officiate our interfaith wedding ceremony. Richard represented the Catholic traditions in my family, and we had a cantor officiate for the Jewish traditions on my husband’s side. The two of them worked so wonderfully together. When we first met with Richard, he was so professional and organized. He had a packet of ceremony samples for my husband and I to use as a reference (some traditional and some more modern). He walked us to through every single step of the ceremony. The processional, who sits where, who stands where, who says what, etc. Just to keep everyone on the same page and make sure we knew how our ceremony would flow. Richard is very timely in responding to emails or phone calls. The four of us had many conversations throughout the planning process which put us all at ease and made us feel comfortable with the ceremony outline. I can’t thank him enough for all of his help and support to make our wedding ceremony absolutely perfect. Our ceremony was a lovely balance of both our traditions and we have him to thank for that. He was truly a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him for any type of wedding ceremony. Our ceremony was the most beautiful & important part of our wedding day. We have received countless compliments on the ceremony officiating and all of our guests were truly amazed by the perfect mix of traditions that we incorporated. Richard was absolutely fantastic and would recommend him for any and all wedding ceremonies.

My husband and I were married a few weeks ago and had Revered Richard Colonna officiate our interfaith wedding ceremony. Read more...

My husband and I were married a few weeks ago and had Revered Richard Colonna officiate our interfaith wedding ceremony. Richard represented the Catholic traditions in my family, and we had a cantor officiate for the Jewish traditions on my husband’s side. The two of them worked so wonderfully together. When we first met with Richard, he was so professional and organized. He had a packet of ceremony samples for my husband and I to use as a reference (some traditional and some more modern). He walked us to through every single step of the ceremony. The processional, who sits where, who stands where, who says what, etc. Just to keep everyone on the same page and make sure we knew how our ceremony would flow. Richard is very timely in responding to emails or phone calls. The four of us had many conversations throughout the planning process which put us all at ease and made us feel comfortable with the ceremony outline. I can’t thank him enough for all of his help and support to make our wedding ceremony absolutely perfect. Our ceremony was a lovely balance of both our traditions and we have him to thank for that. He was truly a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him for any type of wedding ceremony. Our ceremony was the most beautiful & important part of our wedding day. We have received countless compliments on the ceremony officiating and all of our guests were truly amazed by the perfect mix of traditions that we incorporated. Richard was absolutely fantastic and would recommend him for any and all wedding ceremonies. Read less

Services Used: Officiant, Wedding Planning

Alli

Wedding:

5/15/2016

5.0/5.0

Rev. Richard Colonna helped make the ceremony relaxing, entertaining, and family oriented. Richard was recommended by Russell (the owner of the Watermark) and after reading all of his wedding wire reviews I had to call. Richard met with us about 6 months before our wedding and went over the ceremony structure and ideas. He had us laughing from the get go and I knew that he would be a perfect fit in our special day. We did not have a rehearsal but Rich promised us that this would not be an issue and that he would make sure everything would run smooth. And it did!!! My husband’s grandmother was not able to make the wedding so we had her on facetime. Rich made sure to include her in the ceremony by having all the guests shout hello to her before the ceremony started and after we exchanged rings. It was personal touches like that and his light hearted sense of humor that made the ceremony perfect. Days after the wedding was over people kept asking me how long we knew Rich, which made me feel great because that is the family and friend feel we were going for. Do yourself a favor and hire Rich today. He books up fast and you will not regret having him perform your ceremony.

Rev. Richard Colonna helped make the ceremony relaxing, entertaining, and family oriented. Richard was recommended by Read more...

Rev. Richard Colonna helped make the ceremony relaxing, entertaining, and family oriented. Richard was recommended by Russell (the owner of the Watermark) and after reading all of his wedding wire reviews I had to call. Richard met with us about 6 months before our wedding and went over the ceremony structure and ideas. He had us laughing from the get go and I knew that he would be a perfect fit in our special day. We did not have a rehearsal but Rich promised us that this would not be an issue and that he would make sure everything would run smooth. And it did!!! My husband’s grandmother was not able to make the wedding so we had her on facetime. Rich made sure to include her in the ceremony by having all the guests shout hello to her before the ceremony started and after we exchanged rings. It was personal touches like that and his light hearted sense of humor that made the ceremony perfect. Days after the wedding was over people kept asking me how long we knew Rich, which made me feel great because that is the family and friend feel we were going for. Do yourself a favor and hire Rich today. He books up fast and you will not regret having him perform your ceremony. Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Jenna

Wedding:

4/23/2016

5.0/5.0

Rev Rich is the best. He takes care of everything. We didn't have a rehearsal and I was nervous, but I didn't need to be. He took care of everything. Seriously, this guy is top notch. He made the whole thing come together beautifully. He is an organized and professional planner, and a charismatic and warm officiant. We wanted it short and sweet and he made it happen while guiding us in the right direction. He really listens to you and personalizes the ceremony. Can't say enough good things. I would recommend Richard Colonna again and again.

Rev Rich is the best. He takes care of everything. We didn't have a rehearsal and I was nervous, but I didn't need to be. Read more...

Rev Rich is the best. He takes care of everything. We didn't have a rehearsal and I was nervous, but I didn't need to be. He took care of everything. Seriously, this guy is top notch. He made the whole thing come together beautifully. He is an organized and professional planner, and a charismatic and warm officiant. We wanted it short and sweet and he made it happen while guiding us in the right direction. He really listens to you and personalizes the ceremony. Can't say enough good things. I would recommend Richard Colonna again and again. Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Nicole

Wedding:

3/26/2016

5.0/5.0

Richard was a pleasure to work with! He made everything easy and took the stress out! I would definitely recommend Richard to anyone who is getting married!!

Richard was a pleasure to work with! He made everything easy and took the stress out! I would definitely recommend Richard Read more...

Richard was a pleasure to work with! He made everything easy and took the stress out! I would definitely recommend Richard to anyone who is getting married!! Read less

Services Used: Officiant

Tracy

Wedding:

12/19/2015

5.0/5.0

Reverend Rick is the best officiant anyone could have to perform their wedding ceremony. Every guest RAVED about our ceremony. It was personalized and exceeded all expectations!! He is thorough, never missing a detail and on point the entire time. My husband and I cannot rave about him enough.

Reverend Rick is the best officiant anyone could have to perform their wedding ceremony. Every guest RAVED about our Read more...

Reverend Rick is the best officiant anyone could have to perform their wedding ceremony. Every guest RAVED about our ceremony. It was personalized and exceeded all expectations!! He is thorough, never missing a detail and on point the entire time. My husband and I cannot rave about him enough. Read less